When we first moved into our new, old house, I discovered I was spending a lot of time on my knees. The old farmhouse we chose to inhabit had been restored and most of the interior structural work was done. All the walls were freshly painted, new cupboards installed, windows replaced. It was ready for us to move in. There was still the general maintenance of getting into a prayer position to clean both old and new wood floors. I’ve always scrubbed floors, by getting into a kneeling position, but these 80-year-old knees are having a difficult time doing so these days.

In the winter months I would sometime find myself on my knees while taking the dog outside. Sliding across the snow and eventually falling into it was a common occurrence. After a few years I finally went to see an orthopedic doctor in hopes of bringing some relief to my aching knees. He indicated that my x-ray showed the knees of a seventeen-year-old. I asked him if he had the right x-ray. After a cortisone shot, they felt better, but the thought of getting down on my knees has taken a back seat lately.

When I reach heaven, I will have a new body and won’t need to worry about my seventeen-year-old knees. I will continue to have conversations with God on a regular basis, but then I will be able to meet Him face to face.

Going through the ritual of getting down on my knees to pray has become a moment-to-moment conversation with God. I guess it doesn’t really matter to Him what position we take when we pray as long as that conversation continues on a regular basis. We often say our prayers in rote, and they lose so much of their actual meaning. When we rattle off certain prayers without really thinking about it, they become worthless words and meaningless action in God’s eyes. We aren’t getting much out of the situation either. When we pray, (and I don’t get on my knees to do so) our first inclination should be to thank God and give Him praise for all He has done for us. Our petitions should include the needs of others as well as our own. This time should be filled with reverence to God and gratitude for all He has accomplished in your life so far. It’s also a perfect time to confess your sins to Him. He already is aware of them, but through your praying you’ll find comfort in the fact that they have been forgiven on the day His Son died for all. Jesus made it possible for us to go directly to the source of our healing. His death and resurrection cut the middleman out of the picture.

Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the One who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference. ~ Max Lucado